Hinton St Mary is situated in the Blackmore Vale, one mile from Sturminster Newton and approximately 10 miles from Shaftesbury, Blandford, Sherborne and Gillingham. The river Stour is on the western boundary where lies the much photogaphed Cutt Mill, sadly now partly ruined by fire. There are many fine walks along the network of footpaths .

Its major claim to fame is the discovery in 1963 of the Roman Mosaic pavement with the first known depiction of the head of Christ. The mosaic is now in the British Museum, but there is a display board in the village garden.

Hinton is a traditional English village, with a historic Church, a Manor House and a Pub, the White Horse. It contains many lovely houses dating from the 16th century to the present day, of which many are thatched. In Gallery you will find pictures of the village as it is today including an aerial photo and also pictures showing life as it once was. It is a village of gardeners and in 1999 they created a village garden to commemorate the Millennium, which was filmed by BBC 2 for their programme ‘Charley’s Garden Army’.

It is very much a working village. A monthly newsletter The Mosaic is circulated to all residents and provides detailed information on life in the community. To see the latest and past editions go to The Mosaic. The population of about 220 includes 34 children under 16. It is also a very vibrant community and it has worked together on various projects including the restoration of the Village Hall a few years ago. The Village Hall and Cricket Club have combined premises. The hall is available for hire, for details see Village Hall. Every 2 years there is a Village Show with cups and prizes for the winners, and annually a Harvest lunch and a Christmas party. On the alternate year the Gardens Open Weekend takes place and almost everyone in the village becomes involved in one way or another.

Cricket is a tradition in the village and the idyllic cricket pitch is home to the Sturminster and Hinton Cricket Club. In recent years William Fox-Pitt, the Olympic medalist, has established an equestrian centre in the village.

Web site co-ordinator This is a community web site and any input is more than welcomed. It is co-ordinated by Dick Pemberton and if you wish to have information included or have suggestions regarding the web site please contact him at 01258-471740 or ripem@btinternet.com. All information provided by this web site is provided in good faith but the Hinton St Mary Parish Council is not responsible for events arising from the use of such information.